In my last article, I introduced an opportunity I had during my time with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security - re-engineering the Department’s security clearance process. In this follow-up piece, I outline how we were able to create tangible change through incremental improvements and strategic technology implementation.
Revamping the Case Management System: Agile Development in Action
The team innovated by leveraging an existing case management system (developed by another agency) and applying agile development to upgrade it, creating a truly robust and responsive capability open to further refinement and improvement.
By working closely with frontline staff, they prioritized upgrades based on the real-time feedback, ensuring the system addressed the most critical issues as identified by the team members.
Incremental improvements, such as real-time case tracking and enhanced case prioritization, boosted transparency and efficiency, allowing both applicants and staff to track case progress and move cases through the system more effectively.
The agile approach enabled the team to implement numerous changes in iterative cycles, constantly refining the system based on user feedback, available budget, and overall mission priorities, ensuring that improvements were not only effective but also well-received by daily users.
Additional Innovations: Robotic Process Automation (RPA), AI-Driven Solutions, and Clearance Coordinators
While revamping the case management system was a major accomplishment, it was just one part of the broader effort to innovate the clearance process. Alongside these system upgrades, the team also introduced other critical innovations:
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA): By automating repetitive manual tasks, such as data entry and batch information requests, we saved over 7,500 labor hours in FY 2022 and over 10 labor years (and attendant costs) in FY 2023. This allowed staff to focus on more complex case reviews and analysis, significantly speeding up the overall process.
- AI-Driven Complexity Scoring: Working closely with data scientists, our team implemented an AI-powered system that could predict how long certain cases would take to process based on historical data. This allowed the team to better prioritize cases and optimize workloads, reducing bottlenecks and improving the flow of cases through the system.
- The Clearance Coordinator Program: On-call security clearance case officers were assigned to each applicant either going through an initial investigation process or as part of a renewal of their security clearance. This 24/7 on-call support greatly facilitated the timely completion of required security paperwork by immediately answering applicant questions, providing key clarifications, and flagging to the applicant areas where required information was missing or not sufficient. This program alone reduced the average time to initiate a background investigation from 55 days to seven days.
Building a Culture of Innovation and Continuous Improvement
The true success of this project came not just from the technical improvements made, but from the culture of innovation and continuous improvement that developed within the team. This was never simply a top-down initiative; every member of the team had a voice in shaping the changes made, and together they fostered an environment where experimentation and feedback were encouraged.
Empowering employees to contribute to the process changes not only led to better solutions, but also helped to break down the cultural resistance to change that had been holding the organization back. As a team, they demonstrated that small, incremental improvements could make a big difference.
The Results: A Team Effort with Lasting Impact
As I left the State Department in late February of last year, the results of the reforms completed were undeniable. Processing times were significantly reduced, transparency had improved, and the bottlenecks that had once plagued the system were largely eliminated. The revamped case management system—now more agile, responsive, and user-friendly—became a critical tool in managing clearance cases more efficiently. Specifically:
- The average timeline for a Top-Secret clearance dropped to 114 days, down by almost 61% over previous historical timelines. Secret clearance timelines reduced to 74 days on average, down by nearly 76% over previous historical timelines.
- Security clearance “reciprocity” actions now take place in less than five days versus five-to-six weeks.
- Internal transfer of clearances when Department staff move between Bureaus has gone from weeks or months to now averaging just one day.
Lessons Learned: The Power of Collaboration and Incremental Innovation
What stands out most from this experience is the power of teamwork and the impact of incremental innovation. Rather than being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the challenge, this State Department team focused on small, manageable changes that, collectively, made a significant difference. By continuously involving users in the development process and leveraging agile principles, we ensured that our innovations were practical and effective.
This project reinforced for all involved that innovation doesn’t always require a complete overhaul. Sometimes, the best results come from improving what you already have—one step at a time, with the full engagement and collaboration of the team, key stakeholders, in an environment of supportive and proactive leadership. And the work continues …
This article is part of a series about innovation in government agencies, drawing on real examples from my lived experience of transformative change management.
This article was originally published on LinkedIn.
